‘Star Trek: Discovery’ To Feature Female Lead

Bryan Fuller is going in a different direction for Star Trek: Discovery. Sources have confirmed to TVWise that the showrunner is looking to cast a female in the lead role of his rebooted Star Trek series. Fuller is expected to reveal more details later today when he speaks at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour

The casting process is now in full swing ahead of a September production start, but no one has been cast yet and word is that the producers are looking to go diverse for the role, with the hopes of casting an African American or Hispanic actress. There is also talk that this role may not be that of the captain, but another substantial position within Starfleet.

While looking to cast a diverse, female actress in the role is a different direction, it is not an entirely new one for Star Trek. Previous iterations of the franchise have had black and female leads – namely with Kate Mulgrew in Star Trek: Voyager (pictured, right) and Avery Brooks in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Very little is known about the new Star Trek series, including which era it will be set in and how it will fit into the continuity of the wider franchise. It is being shepherded by showrunner Bryan Fuller, who leads a writing team that includes Nicholas Meyer, Alex Kurtzman, Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts. CBS Television Studios is producing, with Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Gretchen Berg, Aaron Harberts, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serving as the executive producers.

Speaking at San Diego Comic Con last month, Bryan Fuller revealed that the series will be serialised rather than episodic. “We’ve got new things; we’re telling stories in a brand new way”, he said. “We’re not going to be doing it episodic. We’re going to be telling stories like a novel”. Fuller also spelled out his ambitions for storytelling on Star Trek: Discovery, adding that it needs to “continue to be progressive, push boundaries and tell stories that give us hope for a future.”

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